By Heather Fillingham

The holiday season, beginning at the end of October, brings excitement, joy, and the opportunity to go all out on the decoration of both our homes and ourselves. To match the festivities of the season, Americans rush to stores and their online shopping accounts to fill their coffers with seasonal necessities.

Halloween is the time of year when the ghouls come out and the glitter goes on! With tons of fun parties, events, and don’t forget trick or treating, the glitter makeup trend is a great way to make a spooky statement.

According to The National Ocean Service, “plastic is the most prevalent type of marine debris found in our ocean and Great Lakes, and defines micro plastics as any plastics that are less than five millimeters in length.”

When searching for that perfect sparkly accent for your next Halloween costume, consider the environment and shop a bit eco-friendlier! Some companies are turning to the use of lentils and eucalyptus tree compounds to create a completely biodegradable alternative to traditional micro plastic glitters. These products are easily sourced online, create the exact same effect, and are rather comparable in regard to price!

Thanksgiving is a warm time associated with bringing family and friends together around a table bursting with the quintessential dishes of the holiday. From turkey, ham, roasted potatoes, casseroles galore, to the plethora of dessert options that are known to grace the table, Thanksgiving is a holiday of giving thanks in the form of digestible abundance.

What many consumers fail to consider as they stock their shopping carts with the items necessary to prepare their feast, is the overwhelming amount of food that is wasted every year in the United States. According to the USDA, it is estimated that “American consumers waste about one-fifth of food that is available to them, equivalent to about $371.00 per person annually. That’s enough money to buy about 21 whole turkeys for each person in the country.”

Consider making small changes to decrease your family’s food waste footprint this Thanksgiving. Avoid making too much food by creating an appropriate meal plan for the number of people at your dinner. Don’t fret if you still have an abundance, leftovers can be frozen and enjoyed for up to one year! If you don’t feel like freezing your food, consider paying it forward to the firefighters serving at your local fire station or giving to those in need.

As the weather gets colder, Thanksgiving gives way to the bright and jolly holiday of Christmas. Christmas trees adorn living rooms, and twinkling lights dress both the trees and the outside of homes and buildings across the country.

A car dealership just north of Atlanta – Photographs by Heather Fillingham  

Though an integral part of the festivities in our country, Christmas lights have a detrimental effect on both your health and the health of the environment.

According to the International Dark Sky Association, “in an average year in the U.S. alone, outdoor lighting uses about 120 terawatt-hours of energy. That’s enough energy to meet New York City’s total electricity needs for two years!”

They illuminate front yards with holiday cheer, but Christmas lights tend to have more of a blinding effect on the natural environment. The IDSA additionally states that artificial lights disrupt the world’s ecosystems by radically altering their nighttime environment by turning night into day.

Though those “Christmas with the Kranks” style homes can be a cheerful part of the holiday festivities, consider decreasing the number of lights on the outside of your home, or at the very least, turn them off before you and your family go to bed.

Professor Ellis Adams, a geography professor at Georgia State University, suggests that consumers educate themselves about the products they’re purchasing, and take a moment to consider the overall impact of their consumer habits.

“The key point [there] is about consumption, and the ignorance. I think ignorance is a very important word here that sometimes consumer habits on consumption, it’s not even on their radar in terms of how much these habits actually lend to the environment,” states Ellis.

“Think about what goes into a just a simple product, and all the different facets. So it’s not only the waste that it generates, but what may have gone into the production. How far would it have traveled, a lot of this may be important. For example, what are the implications with greenhouse gas? Greenhouse gas is [produced] through the transportation of the product.”

The holiday season is a time for celebration, and small changes in our consumer behavior can have a huge impact. Lead by example during the holidays by practicing conscious consumerism, and embrace a healthier and more environmentally friendly way of celebrating your favorite holidays!